May 22, 2014 5:34pm EDTJanuary 14, 2014 12:42pm ESTThe Rockets nearly moved center Omer Asik a month ago, but as time has gone on, the chances that he, and point guard Jeremy Lin, could be traded have diminished.Omer Asik(AP Photo)

A month ago, it seemed to be an inevitability. Rockets center Omer Asik was unhappy with his role behind newly signed star Dwight Howard, and had requested a trade.

Now, league sources have told Sporting News that it will be increasingly difficult for Houston to move Asik, who has been out since the beginning of December with a deep thigh bruise. Asik could return soon, and when he does, it is likely that he will finish out the year with Houston. The same, too, could be said of point guard Jeremy Lin.

That’s because of the structure of the contracts the two players signed back in the summer of 2012, when each was a restricted free agent. There is a loophole in NBA rules that allowed Lin and Asik to sign three-year, $25 million contracts, in which they are paid $5 million for the first two years and $15 million for the third year.

When it comes to how the players are calculated against the salary cap, the $25 million is averaged over the three years—$8.33 million per year—but in real dollars, Asik and Lin will receive $15 million each next year.

Had either player been dealt early this season, the $15 million payment would have been somewhat offset by the fact that each gets only $5 million this year. But the more time passes, the more that the offset salary dries up, and the harder it is to trade either player.

“It is a tough sell to bring something like that to your owner,” one league executive said. “You have got to tell him, ‘We’re getting a pretty good player, an $8 million player. Oh, but we have to pay him $15 million. We will be giving him LeBron (James) money. That’s OK, right?’ That’s not really a conversation you want to have.”

Houston had previously rounded up a handful of teams interested in Asik, with Boston—offering power forward Brandon Bass and guard Courtney Lee—at the head of the line. That deal, though, died as the teams haggled over which draft pick the Celtics would send to the Rockets.

Even without next year’s balloon payment, the Rockets probably would not want to trade Lin, who is averaging 14.2 points and notching career highs in shooting (47.5 percent) and 3-point shooting (35.1 percent). Lin has been especially effective coming off the bench, and could return to that role when guard Patrick Beverley returns from his hand injury this month.

Asik, though, had been very much on the trade block. He has averaged 4.4 points and 6.8 rebounds on the year, playing just 18.3 minutes per game. It still is possible that the Rockets will be able to find a deal for him, but he has certainly not looked like a $15 million player this season.

Rockets coach Kevin McHale was asked on Monday about the status of an Asik trade. He shrugged off the question. “I don’t know,” he said. “If you know something I don’t, let me know.”